new in town ((open))

[WHISPER;]

there's no escaping
there's no place to hide
you scream 'someone save me'
but they don't pay no mind, goodbye

cool wind blew on the she-dog as she strolled through the graveyard. it was the darkest night she had seen in awhile, the stars glistened overhead. she welcomed the breeze considering it was usually a smoldering heat during the day. chocolate brown eyes darted back and forth as she searched the darkness. no one was near, she didn't even know if anyone came here. sniff sniff. nope nothing, no scent of any dog at all. being the new dog around here wasn't ideal. the skeleton pack was dangerous, ruthless and to be blunt, they were killers. she, herself, was a killer but she didn't kill just to kill something... most of the time. she smirked as she thought about it. yes, she enjoyed killing. but not all the time, not for no reason what-so-ever.

zaira settled herself behind a large tombstone the shape of a human with it's arms spread wide. she looked up at it, curiosity in her eyes. humans were strange creatures, she had never met one since she was born after the virus spread and killed all of them. but their presence was still there, they had built all the things in the city and pretty much anything around them was the humans doing. she stared at the statue and shook her head, coming back to reality. she licked her chops and looked around, sniffing again. ah-ha! as the strong scent of squirrel reached her, she pin-pointed it scuffling under another tombstone, searching for nuts. she smirked and crouched down, glad her black coat hid her. she moved forward slowly on her haunches, close enough to pounce when the breeze shifted and the squirrel caught her scent. it bolted, running toward the nearest tree. "dammit!" she lunged forward, using her long legs and speed to catch it. she bit down hard on its neck, snapping it. it dangled limply in her jaws as mouth watered. she smiled and her eyes gleamed, yet another catch by zaira.

she padded back to her strange tombstone and laid down, setting her long tail along her side. she tore into the squirrel, finishing it in a few bites. when she was done she licked her chops, getting any remaining bits off. her ears perked when she heard something, a twig snap perhaps? brown eyes narrowed and she took in a deep breath, dog. there was another one near, hopefully skeleton pack. it would be nice to meet someone, and she didn't feel like fighting off intruders right now. she stood and flexed her muscles, claws unsheathed and sticking into the ground. "who's there?" she spoke, her voice firm but seductive. she had one of the most amazing, mysterious voices.




muse: ehhh better than before, kinda rambling until someone posts
word count: 448
note: she really needs someone to talk to, being new and all so yea!

[Koda]

Koda trotted casually through the graveyard. Usually a grave yard would creep someone out but he didn't care either way. He was exploring the territory of his new found pack. Ever since he had joined the Skeleton Pack he had gotten the feeling that he actually belonged somewhere. Although he hadn't really met any of the Skeleton Pack dogs, he was eager to make friends with as many of them as he could. Maybe one of them might even train him to be the best Skeleton Pack dog ever! The thought excited the young pup and he continued through the graveyard, weaving between headstones as he went.
A soft breeze blew through the eerie place and with it came the smell of another dog. Curiousity got the better of him, as it usually did and he followed his nose. As he came closer to the source of the smell, he lowered his body to the ground, slinking behind the graves. Peeking around one headstones, his light blue eyes caught the sight of a female dog that looked to be a German Shepherd.
Koda tilted his head to one side as he heard her speak. "Who's there?" Before the German Shepherd had a chance to speak again, the young black and white pup popped his head up over a gravestone, resting his front paws on the top of it, his head still tilted to one side as he looked this new female over for a moment.
"I'm Kodiak but you can call me Koda. Who are you?" he said clearly, a friendly smile on his face and his tail wagged back and forth as he watched the older dog before him curiously.

[WHISPER;]

you're walkin' down a horror corridor
it's almost 4 in the mornin' and you're in a
nightmare it's horrible
right there's the coroner

a slight growl escaped her teeth as the pup jumped up, placing his paws on a gravestone and titling his head. she relaxed as she registered it was a skeleton pack pup, she had seen him at the pack meeting. she smiled at his friendly smile, he was just a pup, she wouldn't hurt him.

"I'm Kodiak but you can call me Koda. Who are you?"

she sat down, patting the earth beside her with her tail, signaling him to come closer. she laughed slightly as his tail wagged, he was an energetic, happy soul. she kinda felt bad for him being in this pack. they were all killers, including herself, and they would ruin him. she nodded a hello," well hello there Koda. i am Zaira, but you can call me Z if you would like." she spoke softly, in a warm tone. she was glad that it was this pup that had come and not an intruder or a grown dog like herself. she wasn't the best with other dogs, her mood swings and quietness. this is why others would think she was crazy to join a pack. but she wanted that closeness, the feeling of a family since she didn't have one. plus, she had these... impulses to kill and she thought that would work out well in the skeleton pack.

she looked the pup over. he was a cute little guy, pretty blue eyes. she grimaced slightly but replaced it quickly with a smile so he wouldn't think something was wrong. he is better looking than me and he's a pup. that's depressing. he looked like a husky, but he could be mixed. her head titled to the side slightly. i wonder who's pup he is. those big brown eyes of hers rested on the squirrel she had just devoured. she frowned, wishing she had known he was near before she had eaten it. she would have given him some "are you hungry? i can catch something else, i could show you how to as well if you would like."




word count: 344

[Koda]

Koda immediately liked this dog as she gestured for him to come closer. Pushing off the ground with his strong hind legs, he lept over the gravestone he had been hiding behind and landed in front of her, a smile on his face. He sat down near her, tilting his head as she introduced herself to him as he had done. "Well hello there Koda. i am Zaira, but you can call me Z if you would like." A pink tongue lolled out of Koda's mouth as the new female introduced herself. "Nice to meet you Zaira, I'm- oh wait, I already said that." He replied, laughing a little embarressed as he tried to cover up his mistake unsuccessfully.
Are you hungry? I can catch something else, I could show you how to as well if you would like." As soon as she finished her sentence, Koda jumped to his paws, his tail wagging vigorously. One of the reasons he had joined the Skeleton Pack was because he wanted to learn how to fight and how to kill and this was the perfect opportunity. It was as if she had read his mind!
"That would be awesome! I was hoping that if I joined Skeleton Pack then I could learn how to fight and kill and hunt and stuff! I mean I already have pretty mad skills but there's always more to learn." He replied, a I'm-all-that kind of grin on his face as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

[WHISPER;]

waitin' for ya to turn the corner
so he can corner ya
you're a goner he's onto ya
out the corner of his cornea
he just saw you run
all you want is to rest
cuz you can't run anymore you're done

she watched as he jumped over the gravestone and sat beside her. a laugh escaped her chops as he began introducing himself again. he didn't sit still long though. as soon as she mentioned hunting he jumped up, his tail wagging vigorously. she laughed again. he was one hyper little fellow. he couldn't be more than a year old yet he was strong, he would be an excellent dog to have in the pack when he was full grown.

"That would be awesome! I was hoping that if I joined Skeleton Pack then I could learn how to fight and kill and hunt and stuff! I mean I already have pretty mad skills but there's always more to learn."

she couldn't hold it in any longer as he mentioned his 'mad skills'. she laughed loudly, throwing her head back before looking back at the pup, eyes bright. "you're alright kid. i'll teach ya. even if you have some 'mad skills' already." she winked and stood, stretching her long legs. her muscles rippled under her coat. she shook the dirt off the black fur and looked at Koda again.

"alright, first thing you gotta learn is to be quiet." she looked at him sternly but said it softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. "you must be silent if you don't want your prey to run." she took in a deep breath, catching the scent of a rabbit and the faint smell of a fawn, it was probably in across the graveyard. she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "take a deep breath, smell that? there's a rabbit behind the tree and a fawn across the graveyard." she pointed with her tail to each spot the prey was in. she lowered herself to the ground, all of her weight on her haunches. she crept across the dirt, her tail drawn against her side so it didn't move anything behind her to scare off the prey. she turned the corner of the tree, her black coat hiding her easily. she lunged forward, catching the rabbit with her paw and snapping it's neck in one swift movement. she stood up with the rabbit dangling in her jaws and carried it back to Koda. "see? easy. make sure when you lower yourself that your tail doesn't brush anything behind you and that your belly doesn't brush the ground. try for the fawn." the scent was getting closer, she was glad that they were downwind again. she sat down beside a gravestone, wrapping her tail around her paws. her brown eyes gleamed as she waited for Koda to try catching the fawn.




word count: 442

[Koda]

A grin crossed his face as she laughed at his comment, glad that she had a sense of humor. After all, Koda did love to make others laugh. And he was very very good at it. Light blue eyes watched her, remaining locked on the German Shepherd. Her motions were fluid and graceful and he practiced lowering himself to the ground and holding his tail to the side as she showed him. When she started heading towards the rabbit, he remained still, sitting down and holding his breath so he didn't ruin anything by scaring away the prey. He watched in awe as she hit the rabbit with her paw and then quickly snapped it's neck, killing it instantly. When she returned to him with the rabbit, he smiled, watching her new trophy that was dangling from her jaws. "See? Easy. Make sure when you lower yourself that your tail doesn't brush anything behind you and that your belly doesn't brush the ground. Try for the fawn." Her advice and lesson was cycling through his memory, not wanting to forget anything.
Finally when she told him to go try to get the fawn he took a deep breath and rose to his paws before lowering his body close to the ground, though careful to keep the grass from brushing his belly. Remembering the tail thing he pulled his tail to the side so it wouldn't brush the grass and then slowly moved through the graveyard, using the gravestones and hiding spots and he got closer and closer to his prey. The fawn was a lot bigger than the rabbit and a wave of nervousness washed over the pup but he quickly pushed it away and replaced it with determination. As he came closer and closer to the fawn, his movements became slower and slower until he was finally close enough he could pounce. Putting all his weight on his hind legs, he sprang over the gravestone he had been behind and landed squarely on the fawn's back, his claws digging in and pulling it to the ground while his jaws snapped at it's neck and broke it, killing the deer. Koda stood back up and looked over at Zaira with a proud grin on his face. grabbing a hold of the fawn, he drug it behind him as he trotted back towards his teacher before setting it down near her paws.
"How was that?" He asked excitedly, a smile on his face and his jaws bloody from the kill. His tail wagged once more as he waited to see what she would say.

[WHISPER;]

all he wants is to kill you in front of an audience
while everybody is watching it in the party, applauding it
here i sit while i'm caught up in deep thought again
contemplating my next plot again

zaira watched him as he crept forward, using the gravestones as hiding places. she smiled slightly, her brown eyes intent on the pup. he moved swiftly, quietly. his tail was at his side. she could see him hesitate as he noticed how the fawn was larger but she knew he could do it. her eyes gleamed when he bounded over the gravestone and landed right on the fawns back. he brought it down, seemingly easy enough. brown eyes followed him as he drug it behind it, back to her. she smiled," that was wonderful!" her eyes sparkled and she pressed her nose into his shoulder. "congratulations! you caught a fawn. go ahead and eat it, you deserve it." she settled down beside him, her own catch in front of her. she took a bite of the rabbit, her mouth watering as the meat entered her chops. she swallowed it and smiled at Koda. his first lesson went well, she kinda liked being a teacher, maybe she would ask Dangle if she could be a mentor of sorts for the pups. she took another bite of the rabbit and then finished it in a couple bites, the squirrel she had before hadn't filled her much but the rabbit seemed to do the job. she turned her gaze to Koda and watched him," what do you wanna do next?"




word count: 227

[Koda]

Koda sat down in front of her and smiled, glad that he had done it right and had succeeded in catching his first prey. He was a very good listener and was also a quick learner which was good, especially for a life of a stray. Her nose pressed into his shoulder briefly and he enjoyed the gesture before licking his lips when she told him he could eat his catch. A deep rumbling came up from his stomach before he dug into his prey. A small guy like him couldn't eat it all so instead he finished as much as he could before rolling over onto his side, his stomach full. It had been a long time since he had eaten that good and now that he knew the proper way to hunt, he figured he wouldn't go hungry anymore. A content sigh escaped his mouth and his light blue eyes gazed up at Zaira. "What do you wanna do next?" She asked him, looking over at him as well.
Slowly he sat up and a thoughtful look crossed his face as he tried to think of what else there was to do.
"Hmmm. . . I don't care. You pick." He declared, grinning broadly. His hind leg came up and scratched at an itch on his shoulder before he shook out his short fur. His breeding made him look like both a wolf and a Husky which he quite liked. The wolf side of him gave him more of a wild look while the Husky side of him made him still look like a normal dog.

[WHISPER;]

she smiled as he rolled over, his stomach was bulged. she laughed slightly. her eyes followed his leg as it scratched his shoulder and then he sat up. she thought for a moment, what was there to do? she yawned, her sharp white teeth glistening as the moon hit them. she looked at him. "i could show you how to protect yourself in an attack. and once you get that i could should you a few moves for an offensive attack." she titled her head to the side, wondering how she would show him how to protect himself, it shouldn't be that. he had already proved to her that he was a quick learner and a good listener. with every moment she spent with him he only made her more certain that he would grow to be an excellent addition to this pack. she grinned and nodded. "yeah that's what we will do. if you want to make it in the Skeleton pack you must at least know how to defend yourself, right now anyway." she stood and shook her pelt before crouching, her butt in the air she wiggled it like a pup would while play-fighting. her tail wagged and her eyes sparkled, she was enjoying herself and she hadn't for awhile. she bared her teeth," attack me."



word count: 219

[Koda]

Koda's tall dark ears pricked forward as he heard her speak once more, catching her words and a smile slowly spreading across his face as he listened to what she was saying. "Yeah that's what we will do. If you want to make it in the Skeleton pack you must at least know how to defend yourself, right now anyway." Nodding vigorously, Koda jumped this paws, a wide grin still on his face. Man, he was gonna be ready to fight anyone after he was done. When she told him to attack her, he grinned devilishly and lowered himself down a little, putting most of his weight on his hind legs to give him more power. Pausing for a moment, he prepared to attacking and then lept at her, his jaws open and his sharp teeth bared. When he was almost on top of her, he made it look like he was going to bite at her neck but at the last minute switched his gaze to her front legs, snapping at them.

[WHISPER;]

deep brown eyes focused on the pup's bright blue eyes. she watched as the young male set his weight on his back legs and leaped for her. she was easily two times the size of him but he was strong already. she narrowed her eyes as she watched him bare his teeth. his eyes darted from her neck to her leg and right before his teeth grazed her long leg she bounded to the side, swiping at his ear with extended claws. she smirked and twisted quickly, gracefully and lowered herself again, her eyes shining. she crept forward and swatted his side with a strong paw while nipping his tail lightly. she jumped to the other side before he could get a move in. "never turn your back on your opponent. be prepared for anything. watch their movements, watch their eyes. see where they are going to attack and block it or jump and attack them yourself. you gave yourself away by showing the change of attack with your eyes. you must be careful with that." she backed up and lowered herself again, her teeth bared and eyes narrowed. "be quick, agile. you're small, use that to your advantage. now, do it again."



word count: 203

[Koda]

Koda felt her push him and then nip at his tail and he turned to face her again, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he panted lightly. It was very clear that she had a huge advantage over him but he wasn't going to let that stop him from trying. Listening to everything she said and repeating it to himself in his head, he finally got his breath back and lowered his body once more, this time he looked straight in her eyes and used his peripherals to see where he was going to attack. He lunged at her, swiping and hitting her on the shoulder but his main focus was her legs once more. But this time instead of looking at them, he kept his eyes trained on hers, never giving away what he was going to do. Stretching his other paw out to swiped hard at her front legs, he used his body weight to knock her back legs out from underneath her as well, causing her to fall onto her side. Quickly, Koda took advantage of the fact that she was vulnerable and jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground, one paw on her neck and the other on her shoulder. His tongue once again hung out of his mouth as he began to pant once more from the heavy activity he had just done. But a wide smile was on his face none the less. He remained standing over her, waiting for her to speak before he got off. He didn't want to turn her back on his enemy after all.

[WHISPER;]

she watched his eyes as they connected with hers. he leaped forward, his eyes still intent on her. she smiled, he was using his peripherals. as he lunged she waited to see what he would do. she felt his paw hit her on the shoulder then swipe her back legs from underneath her. she fell onto her side and felt his weight as he jumped ontop of her, one of his paws was on her throat. his smile was full of pride and she chuckled before swatting him on the head, knocking him off her. she rolled over, ontop of him and stood up, grabbing his scruff in her jaws and holding him like a mother would a pup. one of her paws was on his tail in case he tried to escape.

she dropped him after a few moments, panting slightly. "that was very good. you took everything i said and used it. you will be a fine fighter." she sat down and licked her chest, smoothing the brown fur. her brown eyes watched him the whole time, seeing if he would attack again. she shook her fur out and wrapped her tail around her paws. "that is enough for tonight, but we will do this again soon. you're alright kid." it had been a productive night, she had taught the pup how to hunt and fight. he learned it all his first try, took in everything she had said and used it. he was quick. she smiled and titled her head to the side. "if you don't mind me asking, pup. who is your mother? i know i'm new here and don't know many others yet but i would have seen her at the meeting with you. why isn't she here?"




word count: 293

[Koda]

Koda's smile didn't fade but he was taken by surprise a little when she whacked him on the head and then grabbed him by his scruff. She released him quickly though and he shook his coat out, getting rid of the dirt that had gotten on it during their scuffle. Sitting down in front of her, his light blue eyes watched as she cleaned her fur as well. He was very happy and excited, for he had learned so much in just one night and what if he continued to learn from Zaira. He would definitely be one of the best Skeleton Pack dogs ever!
A content sigh escaped the pup's jaws as he listened to her speak once more, a smile crossing his face again but his smile faded just a little at the next few words she spoke. "If you don't mind me asking, pup. Who is your mother? I know I'm new here and don't know many others yet but I would have seen her at the meeting with you. Why isn't she here?" Koda's light blue eyes gazed up at the German Shepherd that sat before him before shifting back down to the ground.
"My parents are both dead. I take care of myself." He replied, his voice strong and determined, not giving away any of the sadness he barely let himself feel.

[WHISPER;]

those big brown eyes of hers seemed to get bigger when he spoke. she sighed, now she felt bad about asking him. he didn't give any hint to being sad but there was no one he wasn't. any dog would be.. she was. she crawled over and laid beside him, wrapping her body around him as he was sitting so he was against her belly. she nudged his shoulder. "i lost my parents when i was a pup as well... i never showed pain or sorrow and look at me now. i'm the depressed, bipolar bitch who's new and knows no one in a pack that she probably doesn't belong in. but i'm gonna try as hard as i can to fit in. what i'm trying to say i guess is that you have to show you pain sometime. you have to let it out at some point cause you will explode if you don't, believe me. my explosions are... different, but we won't talk about those now." she laid her head by his paws. why was she being like this? why was she telling this little pup all of this anyway? she sighed and looked up. "you probably think i'm weak admitting it, and saying i don't belong here.."




word count: 210